Campus band records live album

Making of a record — The Campus Band’s live album, recorded during Liberty’s campus church, is expected to be released sometime next year. Photo credit: Ruth Bibby

Hundreds of excited worshippers filtered into the Thomas Road Baptist Church sanctuary Wednesday, Oct. 17 for the live recording of a concert performed by the Liberty University Campus Band. The excitement was evident as the audience erupted in cheers of support when the Campus Band arrived on stage. The floor of the sanctuary was packed with eager listeners as the voices of the band bounced off the high walls, feeding into the recording system.

“I’m excited that I get to be on a CD because I do not have a singing voice,” Nikki Gentry, a student greeter at the event, said. “This is my one chance, so I’m going to do it.”

Camera crews zoomed in on the performance and caught shots of the praising audience throughout the concert. The flickering blue and yellow lights and crisp feed from the singers’ microphones allowed for an electrifying worship experience.

“I forgot all about the recording,” Lauren Sweeney, leading female vocalist for the band, said. “Our eyes were really focused on the Lord the entire time.”

The concert consisted of songs written personally by Campus Band members that they were excited to share with the audience. The band had begun preparing for this concert in August, dedicating the majority of their fall breaks to long rehearsals. The finished product will be released next year.

“To be used in this capacity by God at this school is such a blessing,” Sweeney said.

Many of the band members are also current students at Liberty, balancing academics and band practices to perform for their peers at convocation and campus church services during the school year.

“It’s a privilege to be able to serve and see God move,” Bryce Rogers, drummer for the band, said. “It’s such a blessing.”

Humbled by the power of God felt throughout the performance, band members agreed that their prayers were answered through the reaction of the audience.

After the band played the final song of the night, Justin Kintzel, lead vocalist of the band, quieted the audience to close with a final word of prayer.

Before Kintzel could end the concert, many audience members yelled for an encore of the popular praise song “Oh, Happy Day.”

Kintzel laughed at the spontaneous request as the other band members obediently began to play. The night ended after the encore as hands dropped reluctantly, finishing the last wild motions of the song.

“I enjoyed it a lot,” Sarah Wells, a freshman at Liberty, said. “The band was great. I loved it.”

As the audience left, compliments for the band could be heard spoken throughout conversations as many students claimed they would be coming back to hear the band in the future.